Saturday Horse Racing Multiple Tips: Hobbs to star for Sandown 22/1 treble

• Hobbs has two great chances early on at Sandown

• Smith stayer has the tools for London National 

• Alan Dudman has a Saturday racing treble that pays 22/123.00 on the Sportsbook 

Sandown - 12:10: Back Sober Glory @ 8/111.73

The old cricket maxim of strong Yorkshire - strong England can be applied here. Strong Hobbs, strong racing. Philip Hobbs' resurgence has been a joy to watch this season with some fine young prospects and Sober Glory perhaps could be best of the current crop for the west county wizard.

Sober Glory steps up in class for the Sandown opener, but he has not stopped improving every time he has set foot on a racecourse.

Unbeaten in three bumpers, his talent was clear early and his hurdling debut at Chepstow last month was about as impressive as you can get. He made all and beat a Newbury bumper winner for Dan Skelton by 12L. He was sent off 1/2 for that run and I am surprised he isn't shorter here.

Admittedly a good race with some decent Timeform figures is in store, but Sober Glory holds a Halifax figure of 146p and looks a super prospect.

Sandown - 13:20: Back Kikijo @ 3/14.00

Hobbs and Johnson White again with Kikijo, who has improved leaving the fences and switching back to hurdles this term and takes another step in his progression in a Pertemps Qualifier.

He has no problem with the 3m judged on his Cheltenham win, which was fairly emphatic from a mark of 120 coming near side.

Obviously there was a bit of an eyecatcher in behind with Supremely West, but Kikijo sat on the pace with a lead from Gowel Road and a 7lb rise might not be enough to stop him as he stayed so well and seems very straightforward. 

Plenty of rain will suit as it was soft at Cheltenham and his Newbury victory by 4L last term over fences was also on genuine soft going. Hobbs has a 10-59 strike-rate at 17% at Sandown in the past five seasons and those numbers can be boosted with his pair hopefully.

Sandown - 15:35: Back O'Connell @ 9/43.25

I am very keen on the chances of O'Connell in the Betfair Exchange London National, as he is very much a stayer on the improve from his current mark of 132. 

He scored at Sandown over the fences in deep ground last winter, and showed great courage considering he was down in distance by half a mile from his previous Lincolnshire National victory at Market Rasen.

He was outpaced winning in Esher last term so he has an ideal chance to utilise his stamina for this 3m4f+ race and he has been pretty strong on the Sportsbook all week as he was my antepost selection in the column on Tuesday at 5s, and his trainer Sue Smith also had him entered in the Friday 3m contest.

His comeback run for the season at Carlisle looked as if it might have been needed last time over 3m2f and he stayed on well from a hold-up ride. 

Smith is also a trainer very much a resurgent force assisted by Joel Parkinson and O'Connell can hopefully go in on Saturday en route to the Welsh National.

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Now read more tips with Alan's 1-2-3 Big Race Verdict on Saturday's Becher Chase